Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-14
Daily eagle
MARTIN, THE COBBLER.


my village. l have always noticed him
there, shoe firmly held between bis
knees, bringing his tightly clenched fists
together, bending his elbows, and plying
his awl with a regularity akin to that
of the heavy brass pendulum III the clock
case behind him, swinging tao, tao, tao,
ever reminding him Of the eternal monot-
ony of life.
Tao, tao, from left to right swings the
pendulum, elbows bend and fists come
together. Pan PAM the hammer falls;
work progresses, but never ends. After
one shoe comes another. Men walk and
shoes are worn out. Pan, pani down
and up, tac tac from right to leftl All
thy life, Martin, shalt thou ply thy awl
and WELD thy hammer, seated upon thy
low chair in thy narrow booth, at the
corner Of the public square, opposite the
church from which, on Sundays, escape
strains as monotonous as the eternity
of which they sing, SIS monotonous as our
mortal lives which are ever swinging, tao,
tao, from right to left, from fear to hope!
In spring and summer the trees in the
square are clad in green; in autumn the
leaves fall; in winter the limbs are bare.
Tao, tao, all thy life, Martin, shalt thou
tug at thy awl and swing thy hammer;
shoes wear out and men walk. Work al
ways progresses, but never ends.
On the trunks of the trees and on the
ground the shade is riddled with small
luminous spots which ever glide to the
right and to the left, obedient to the wind;
and the cicada fills the air with its shrill
noiss-an unchanging, jerky note, which
rises and falls as if it fitted far, far
away, after having come so near.
The month of August slips by and the
1ocusts disappear. Floods come down
from the hills and .inundate the plains.
About the village myriads of frogs set up
q loud, unceasing elamor, SO regular
racket, to which we get so accustomed
that, when asleep, q sudden cessation Of
it wakes US up with a start, wondering if
anything unusual has occurred.
IN the public square stands fountain.
"a From the center of round pond arises
"a little column supporting small basin
from which, through four pipes the water
flows and falls into the pond below with
merry splash, which never varies, never
changes. 1t is ever the same monotonous
mirth, that makes us feel sad when we
remember that it is always thus, as indif-
ferent to the departure of the dead COW
through the public square to their last
resting place as it is TO the arrival Of the
new born babe carried to the church for
baptism.
The fountain with its four pipes is
time keeper as well; it seems to mark the
four seasons; it points to the north, to the
south, TO the east and to the west It's
waters rustic continuously, just like the
leaves, hk> the frogs and like the locusts,
like the strains from the church, like the
pendulum, like old Martins hammer
pan, pani Shoes wear out and men travel.
Work progresses, but is never finished.
Old Martin has a wife; a good, economi-
cal wife. Even on Sundays he works,
Needless Of the cures renonstrances. eff
] did not work on Sunday, Monsieur lie
Cure, | would probably get tightp' No
one has ever seen him drunk, not even his
happy wife, who adores him.
What does Old Martin think about as
he plies his awl, as he yields his hammer?
IT'S odd he wishes to give up his stall.
lie is planning to quit it altogether.
From the square passers by who glance
at the little booth find it pretty, because
the glazed door, which is just as wide as
the shop itself, is bordered with verdUre,
and Old Martin on the inside, behind the
glass, in the center Of his frame Of flowers,
resembles hfehke picture, one of those
masterpieces to which the artist gives so
much expression, such an appearance of
reality that single glance gives us an in
sight Of the life of the person represented,
his habits, even Of his very thoughts.
Always unchanging, just like u painted
picture, Old Martin grows old as he plies
his awl. From time to rhine he raises his
head, casts q hassy look at the square
where the fountain plays, where men
walk. GLOW DIDO, Pere MARTINI Chow
DIDO, how DIDO" They pass by and go
about their business. They viii come
back.
What are Old Martins thoughts 80
busy about? He is thinking of giving up
his little shop. He has had enough of Il.
He feels that he is getting old. And it is
just because he has had enough of the
shop that he remains there; That he does
not move from it; that he is to be seen
there 80 early in the morning and so late
at night, pegging away! Martin works
hard now, so as TO be able to stop working
some day. His plans are all laid out. He
is saving money. Pan. pan! During a
whole lifetime he viii drudge, so as to
have, at the end, few happy days with
out work, when be will change his guar
tiers and no longer have to say: walk
in, walk in; we viii see about itr' or
"The lowest price is six francs!' or How
DIDO, how d'do"' 10 each passing wag
oner.
Then, he will have a garden, little
garden Of his own, which he win water
and attend TO, in front of little home he
viii have built In his mind he had al
ready selected the site of the house; it
will be at one of the extremities Of the
village, at a short distance from the high
way where men walk and shoes are worn
out. Old Martin is getting tired of
drudging with awl and hammer.
Honest Martin smiles as he works, be-
cause his heart is light with hope. He is
a worthy man and customers come to his
shop from afsr. lie is boarding up shin
ing pieces of money in the old boots that
dangle from the ceiling of his attic.
Strike, hammer; flow, fountain. Folks
say that little brooks, Ell, Ell, chi make
great rivers; little by little, pan, pan, pan,
the bird builds its nest Eh, Ell,
EN- And it happens now, that those who
pass by the shop hear old Martin laugh.
lie is laughing all to himself over his
pleasant fancies his little garden, his coy
home that viii be built on the spot he
knows so well, at one of the eXtremities
of the village, a short distance from The
public road where men walk and shoes
are worn out.
Hello. Old Martin! we have hired an
assistant 1t seemss'
Faith. yes, as you Sect
There are two of them in the shop now,
an old man and a yeung one, plying the
sWl and welding the hammer, and greet
ing passers by with How do" There
are two OF them now in the green frame,